JOOLA Gen 3 paddle drama, explained.

Good day, picklers. Theme of the Week: What goes up will most definitely come down. And for 3 Kings of Pickleball this week, the truth glows oh-so-bright.

1 man. 1 head honcho. 1 world. Defeated.

Let’s get into it, shall we?

Let’s get into some PICKLE TALK

JOOLA’S GEN 3 PADDLE DRAMA, EXPLAINED

Is it possible for 1 paddle to almost crack the picklesphere in half? Well, it turns out if the paddle sings the brand Joola, then yes, it very well can.

Unless you live under a rock and then some, then you are no stranger to the news about JOOLA’s Gen 3 paddle line-up that was released in mid-April. According to Joola, the paddle features “a new patent-pending core and first-of-its-kind NFC chip enabled technology”. (i.e. crazy power, crazy spin).

So what’s the drama?

This hyped-up paddle that costs $300+ after tax and made its appearance at the PPA Atlanta games was suddenly removed from USA Pickleball’s Approved Paddle List. OOPS.

Why?

USA Pickleball and JOOLA both came out with vague statements regarding the matter. Here’s the gist (links lead to full statements):

• USAP: The Gen 3 paddles were removed from the list after JOOLA informed the organization that they submitted the wrong paddles for testing in November.

• JOOLA: The removal of the Gen 3 paddles was due to an administrative error by JOOLA.

JOOLA is sticking with the storyline that the Gen 3 paddles available for purchase right now are “materially” the same as the models that were approved previously, just that “administrative error” confuses things.

This redditor explains what exactly the “administrative error” is, but none of it has been confirmed by JOOLA.

LOOKING OUT:

Even with the paddle validation issue, the Gen 3 was given the thumbs up via PPA to continue to be used during the Vizzy Atlanta Open.

And as an FYI…if there is to be a re-test, the process will take around 4-6 weeks. To be continued…

The Comment Section:

Kansas City Chiefs owner’s daughter defends Harrions Butker while promoting pickleball

Harrison Butker. The talk of the US of A. Once known as the KC Cheifs kicker is now known as the guy who spoke about the traditional woman to Benedictine College’s graduating class of 2024, creating chaos amongst liberal-minded women.

ICYMI…His speech consisted of messaging that supports traditional values and women who stay home to take care of the home and family, discounting the era of working women.

(For context: Benedictine College is a catholic college.)

During a Fox News morning broadcast, the daughter of KC Chiefs owner, Gracie Hunts not only defends Harrison Butker, but does so while promoting pickleball.

The reality that these 2 things could exist together make it all the more interesting.

BITE-SIZED PICKLES FOR OFF THE COURT

1/ ROYALS OF ATL: Sometimes a good recharge is all a queen needs to stay on top of her throne. One Queen by the name of Anna Leigh Waters took a month long hiatus to come back to PPA Atlanta, securing her 25th career PPA triple crown. And the King, you say? He took home 2 golden medallions himself. All is fair in the Golden Suite.

2/ TIME TO MOVE IN, SWEETIE: Ex-Bed Bath & Beyond is now Bed Bath & Bye Bye, thanks to Life Time in Annapolis, Maryland. It’s no secret the brick and mortar home & decor company has pretty much evaporated its physical locations after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April of 2023. So Life Time is taking its $$ and turning one of those vacant spots into 46,000 pickleball arena with 11 courts total. How’s that for a home renovation?

3/ BARBIE ❤️ PICKLEBALL: “Every night is girls night.” (Barbie) Yes, it is Barbie. Yes, it is. And might I suggest pickleball for one of them? Cause the fabulous pickleball brand Nettie just released Barbie-branded pickleball paddles and gear to celebrate 65 years of Barbie. Life is plastic, it’s fantastic!

4/ NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN: Step aside PPA & MLP, MR. UPA of America is here. On May 16th, the UPA-A announced that it “has been formed to be this governing body, working collaboratively with stakeholders to ensure the integrity of pickleball.” In simple terms, pickleballs way of enforcing checks and balances.

5/ DID YOU KNOW?: For a bit there, Federico Staksrud was ranked #1 PPA Men’s singles player, toppling the $2.5 million pickleball player, Ben Johns. SPOILER: It didn’t last very long. Ben Johns said, “No sir,” and without mercy, he recaptured his #1 spot on Champion Sunday at the Vizzy Atlanta Open. Be a witness to greatness 😉

GOLDEN PICKLE, ANYONE?

What sacrifices from the current game of pickleball would need to be made in order to make it to the Olympics? Tom Webb, CMO of APP, lays out the hard truths during the racquetX Conference, as he’s had experience working with the Olympics.

His 3 suggestions:

🥇Players cannot make their own subjective line calls (which creates too much wiggle room for argument)
🥈Implementing a doping program (Olympic standard)
🥉Standardized rules and regulations globally

His most recent tweet about the matter, after UPA-A was announced:

Seattle is now known for 3 very bad things:

🌧️ Rain, rain, and more rain
💨 Puff, puff, pass

and now…

Quiet pickleball. 🤫🤫

How does one survive in the state of Washington? 🙃

ICYMI…A Pickle Talk Rewind